THE WORLD | IN BRIEF / RUSSIA

Investigators Blame Pilot Error for Airliner Crash

The co-pilot of a passenger jet that crashed last week inexplicably jerked its nose up while trying to land, throwing the plane into an uncontrolled spin before it slammed into a Siberian meadow, killing all 145 people aboard, officials said.

Investigators remain puzzled, however, about why the crew made the fatal mistake, which set a warning siren screaming in the cockpit.

The plane fell into a spin and the commander ordered his co-pilot to throttle up the engines, investigators said, but it was too late. The airliner fell from a height of 2,640 feet and slammed down on its belly.